Vacuum cleaner filter bag and the method of forming same



July 29, 1969 J. J. FQESCO 3,457,706

VACUUM CLEANER FILTER BAG AND THE METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed Oct. 22,1965 United States Patent 3,457,706 VACUUM CLEANER FILTER BAG AND THEMETHOD OF FORMING SAME John J. Fesco, Baldwin, N.Y., assignor to StudleyPaper Company, Inc., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser.No. 500,684 Int. Cl. B01d 29/10 U.S. Cl. 55-367 The present inventionrelates in general to vacuum cleaner filter bags and in particular to agenerally improved collar therefor.

Vacuum cleaner filter bags made of filter paper or other similarmaterial are in wide spread use in connection wiht vacuum cleaners. Suchfilter bags are expendable and are usually provided with a collar whichadapts the bags for mounting within the vaccum cleaner so as to receivethe output end of an air intake conduit. Heretofore, the operationinvolved in securing the collar to the open end of the vacuum cleanerfilter bag was generally a relatively complex, time-consuming andexpensive operation.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toobviate the stated disadvantages of prior art vacuum cleaner filterbags.

In accordance with the foregoing object of the present invention, it isanother object to provide a generally simplified and eflicient methodfor securing collars to vacuum cleaner filter bags.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a generallyimproved collar for a vacuum cleaner paper filter bag which will preventthe mouth of the bag from becoming distorted and which in addition willprovide added support and reinforcement for the bag at the open mouththereof.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide ahighly novel collar for a vacuum cleaner filter bag which collar is alsoprovided with means for closing the open mouth of the bag so as toprevent inadvertent discharge of the contents thereof.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbe readily apparent to one skilled in the art from a consideration ofthe following specification taken in connection with the appendeddrawings.

In the drawings, which illustrate the best mode presently contemplatedfor carrying out the present invention,

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view of a vacuum cleaner filter bag providedwith a collar pursuant to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view which illustrates the method of securing the collarof the present invention at the open mouth of the bag;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a vacuum cleaner paperfilter bag provided with a collar pursuant to the present invention,portions being broken away for purposes of illustration;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side view of a vacuum cleaner paper bagpursuant to the present invention with portions broken away for purposesof illustration;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, there is shown a vacuum cleanerfilter bag 10 preferably formed of filter paper or other suitablematerial. The bag 10 is provided with a front wall or panel 12 and witha rear wall or panel 14 and with a pair of end wall gussets 16 and 18.The end wall 16 is provided with an infold 20 and the opposite end wall18 is provided with an infold 22. As best shown in FIGURE 6, the bag 10is provided with a turned-up and closed bottom 24 and as 4 Claims "icebest shown in FIGURE 1 the bag is provided with an open top 26. As hereshown, the bag tapers inwardly from the open top 26 to the closed bottom24. However, it will be understood that it is not essential for thepresent invention that a tapered bag 10 be used, it being within theconcept of the present invention to use bags which are also not tapered.

Pursuant to the present invention, the bag 10 is provided with a collar28. The collar is preferably formed of cardboard or paperboard or anyother suitable material. As here shown, the collar 28 is essentially ofrectangular conformation and is provided with a rectangular rim 30. Therim 30 has the opposing integral elongated rim portions 32 and 34 whichare interconnected by the shorter transverse rim portions 36 and 38. Theelongated rim portion 32 is provided with a hinged quadrilateral flange40 and the elongtaed rim portion 34 is provided with a similarquadrilateral hinged flange 42. The transverse rim portion 36 isprovided with a triangular hinged flange 44 and the transverse rimportion 38 is provided with a triangular hinged flange 46. It will beunderstood that the collar 28 is formed from suitable sheet materialstock, which as previously indicated, is preferably cardboard orpaperboard, and the collar is cut or stamped from said stock.Conventional paper-bag making machinery can be utilized to form the rim30 and the hinged flanges 40, 42, 44 and 46 thereof. Viewing FIGURE 1,it will be understood that the various hinged rim flanges can be bentinwardly, as indicated by the arrows 48, from the plane of therespective rim portions, it being noted that the various rim portionsare integral with each other and that each flange is integral with,although bendable from, its associated rim portion.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the manner in which the collar 28 is secured to thebag 10. For this purpose, a block 50 of wood or other similar materialis used, The block 50 has a rectangular conformation which is similar tothe conformation of the collar 28. However, the block 50 is of smallerrectangular area than the collar 28, the surface 52 of the block havingan area equal to the combined areas of the flanges 40, 42, 44 and 46 sothat if the collar 28 is deposited on the block surface 52, the rim 30of the collar will extend outwardly of the block. More specifically, theupper surface of the collar 28, which is the surface which appearsuppermost in FIG- URE l, is deposited or positioned on the block surface52 which, as shown in FIGURE 2, is the upper surface of the block 50.Consequently, it will be apparent that the lower or undersurface of thecollar 28 will be uppermost when the upper surface of the collar ispositioned on the upper surface 52 of the block 50. A suitable adhesive54 is applied to the under or exposed surfaces of the flanges 40, 42, 44and 46, the adjacent surfaces of the various rim portions being free ofthe adhesive. It will be understood that when the top 26 of the bag 10is fully opened or expanded, the top of the bag will encompass an areawhich is substantialy equal to the rectangular area encompassed by thefour flanges 40, 42, 44 and 46, so that it will be understood that thearea encompased by the fully opened upper end 26 of the bag does notencompass the full area of the collar 28 incuding the rim 30. With theadhesive coated undersurfaces of the flanges uppermost on the uppersurface 52 of the block 50, the bag 10 is moved downwardly as indicatedby the arrow 56 in FIGURE 2, to engage the collar 28. More specifically,the bag 10 will engage the collar 28 along the hinge lines 58 of therespective flanges and as the bag is continued to be moved down in thedirection of the arrow 56, the rim 30 of the bag will move toward thebottom surface 60 of the supporting block 50. As a result, the variousflanges will bend or fold inwardly as indicated by the arrows 62 inFIGURE 2, toward the opposing inner surfaces of the bag 10. Aspreviously indicated, it will be apparent that since the lower surfacesof the flanges are covered with the adhesive material 54, the flangeswill be adhesively secured to the inner surfaces of the bag as the bagis moved downwardly along the block 50. More specifically, thequadrilateral flange 40 will be secured to the inner surface of wall 14,the quadrilateral flange 42 will be secured to the inner surface of wall12, the triangular flange 46 will be secured to the inner surface of theportion 22 of end wall 18 and the inner surface of the triangular flange44 will be secured to the portion 20 of the end wall 16. This is clearlyshown in FIGURE 3 which indicates the condition of the bag provided withthe collar 28 when the bag is removed from the block 50. It, therefore,will be apparent that the various flanges of the colar 28 have beenfolded inwardly from the position thereof shown in FIGURE 1 and securedat the upper end 26 of the bag to the inner surfaces of the adjacentwalls of the bag and that the rim 30 extends outwardly from the variouswalls of the bag. It will be apparent from FIGURE 3, that with thevarious collar flanges secured to the inner sufaces of the adjacent wallportions of the bag in the manner illustrated and described, the bagmouth 26 is not distorted in any fashion. Moreover, it will be apparentthat the flanges provide support and reinforcement for the bag 10 at theopen end or mouth 26 thereof. The portions 20 and 22 at the upper endsof the opposing end walls 16 and 18 of the bag may be infolded along thelines indicated in FIGURE 1 to permit the upper end of the bag to beclosed by swinging the collar against the bag as indicated by the arrow64 in FIGURE 4. This, of course, is accomplished manually. It will beapparent that when the collar is swung against the bag in the describedmanner, the open mouth of the bag is closed because the various flangesof the collar are moved back to the position thereof illustarted inFIGURE 1, namely, each flange becomes planar with its associated rimportion. Consequently, if the bag 10 is filled with dirt or other refusecollected by the vacuum cleaner input conduit and blown into the bag 10,the dirt in the bag is inadvertently prevented from spilling from thebag by merely folding the collar against the bag as illustrated inFIGURE 4 whereby the various collar flanges will serve to close the openmouth of the bag which thereafter can be withdrawn from the vacuumcleaner without danger of spilling the dirt. Moreover, it will be notedthat the flanges will swing into the bag, from the position thereofshown in FIGURE 1, in response to the suction created in the vacuumcleaner when the latter is operated.

I claim:

1. A vacuum cleaner filter bag comprising a bag body constructed of anair pervious material having a plurality of inner surfaces, an open toplying substantially in a single plane and a closed bottom, and an airimpervious collar provided at said open top, said collar having asubstantially planar rim which extends laterally outwardly from said bagbody, said rim lying substantially entirely within said single plane,said collar having a plurality of flanges hingedly attached to said rimand extending from said rim to a point within said bag body, saidflanges each being integral with said rim and each flange secured to arespective one of the inner surfaces of said bag body, said flangesbeing positioned with respect to said rim and to said bag body so as topermit folding said bag at the lowermost edge of one of said flanges andto permit rotating the flanges about a point at which they are hinged tosaid rim until said flanges lie in the plane of said rim and said baglies substantially in said single plane, whereby said open top isdisposed in a generally vertical plane and said flanges prevent escapeof dirt and debris from said vacuum cleaner filter bag.

2. The method of forming a vacuum cleaner filter bag comprisingproviding a tubular bag body having an open end, providing a collarhaving a continuous rim and a plurality of hinged flanges which extendinwardly from said rim to close the area within said rim, providingadhesive on one surface of said collar to coat said flanges and leavesaid rim free of adhesive, placing said collar on a support with saidone surface uppermost and said rim extending outwardly from saidsupport, and moving said bag body downwardly toward said support so thatthe marginal edges of said body at said open end engage the hinge linesof said flanges and the coated surfaces of said flanges engage theadjacent inner surfaces of said bag body.

3. The method of forming a vacuum cleaner filter bag comprisingproviding a bag body having opposing side walls and opposing end wallsand having an open end, providing a collar having a continuousrectangular rim provided with a pair of opposing quadrilateral hingedflanges and a pair of opposing triangular hinged flanges which close thearea within said rim, providing adhesive on one surface to said collarto coat said flanges and leave said rim free of adhesive, placing saidcollar on a support with said rim extending outwardly from said support,and moving said bag body downwardly toward said support so that themarginal edges of said body at said open end engage the hinge lines ofsaid flanges and the coated surfaces of said first pair of flangesengage the inner surfaces of said side walls and the coated surfaces ofsaid second pair of flanges engage the inner surfaces of end walls.

4. The method set forth in claim 3, and providing infolds at said endwalls at open end whereby said collar is foldable against one of saidside walls to place said flanges in planar relation with said rim.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,028,215 1/1936 Heuberger 55-3762,252,462 8/ 1941 Howard.

2,418,371 4/1947 Smellie 55-382 2,430,155 11/ 1947 Buttery 248 X2,614,883 10/1952 Anderson et a1.

2,737,263 3/1956 Anderson 55367 2,975,863 3/1961 Sosnowich 5538l3,176,450 4/ 1965 Weinstein 55367 HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner D.E. TALBERT, JR., Assistant Examiner

1. A VACUUM CLEANER FILTER BAG COMPRISING A BAG BODY CONSTRUCTED OF ANAIR PERVIOUS MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF INNER SURFACES, AN OPEN TOPLYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A SINGLE PLANE AND A CLOSED BOTTOM, AND AN AIRIMPERIOUS COLLAR PROVIDED AT SAID OPEN TOP, SAID COLLAR HAVING ASUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR RIM WHICH EXTENDS LATERALLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID BAGBODY, SAID RIM LYING SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY WITHIN SAID SINGLE PLANE,SAID COLLAR HAVING A PLURALITY OF FLANGES HINGEDLY ATTACHED TO SAID RIMAND EXTENDING FROM SAID RIM TO A POINT WITHIN SAID BAG BODY, SAIDFLANGES EACH BEING INTEGRAL WITH SAID RIM AND EACH FLANGE SECURED TO ARESPECTIVE ONE OF THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID BAG BODY,